Mr. H. C. Martin,



136



bunched up exhausted and with bleeding skulls. When this

happens, too, I find that the feathers at the base of the beak

seldom grow properly again.


At first I brought my wire-work in the outer flight down

almost to the ground level, but I soon found it desirable to put

in an Sin. edging. Feathers and building material will collect

at the bottom of wire-netting and defy all ordinary attempts at

tidying-up, while young birds, not yet able to fly, will do their

level best to commit suicide by pushing their soft, silly skulls

into all sorts of hard wiry corners. The edging prevents this

and, to some extent, keeps the rain from splashing in. It also

makes it difficult for cats to do any mischief, and more than

a few of our members can, I daresay, tell a tale of what grimalkin

is capable of doing even through small wire-work.


My aviary was constructed with rather too many cross

framings inside ; this I should avoid another time in order to do

away with the numerous corners where dust and dirt are sure to

collect.


Canary-seed husk is most untidy stuff and cannot possibly

be swept up from a gravel floor, i.e., unless you sweep up the

gravel as well. Most birds will sit and crack their seed on or by

the food-pan and, this being so, it occurred to me to fit in the

outer part of my aviary a large, open, detachable “ feeding box,”

I suppose I may call it, in which the seed-pans are placed and

which catches nearly all the debris, so that it ma) r easily be

removed. I have endeavoured to illustrate such a box (Fig. 1)

which, if I built another aviary, I should make of stoutish wood

and place outside, providing it with a door as at A B, hinged at

the top so as to close by its own weight, and. which could be

provided with a lock. This would save much dodging in and out

and avoid disturbing birds nesting possibly close by. Ordinary

sardine-tins, thoroughly cleansed and with the rough edge

neatly hammered down, or better still, with a stout iron wire

soldered round the rim, will be found to make very suitable

holders for the different kinds of food. Disguise them with an

outside coat of hard enamel-paint and no one will detect their

humble origin.



